Provided by the County of Bucks:
On Thursday, July 3, 2014, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will conduct aerial black fly suppression operations along the Delaware River in Bucks and Northampton Counties (as well as Mercer, Hunterdon and Warren Counties in New Jersey).
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Work will begin at the Thorpe Farm in Upper Makefield Township at 8:00 a.m. and continue north along the Delaware River to the Slateford Railroad Bridge.
Typical operations involve the application of Vectobac 12AS (a brown, viscous, liquid material that smells like fish oil) from a helicopter. The helicopter will apply the Vectobac perpendicular to the river flow in designated areas by flying back and forth across the river and discharging the material from a boom arm. The material is then carried downriver. The active ingredient in Vectobac is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.), a naturally occurring soil bacterium.
AgAir, LLC of Thomasville, PA is the scheduled contractor and will be using a Bell Jet Ranger with tail number N16979. For additional information about black fly suppression, please visit the website http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/blackfly.
